50-State Comparison: Syllabus Transparency
In an era of the internet, AI, and constant information overload, most public colleges and universities in the United States still don’t consistently make syllabi and course information publicly available.…
Massachusetts
How Does Your State Stack Up?
Late last year, the Martin Center debuted a major new resource for readers seeking state-by-state higher-education analysis and policy coverage. The project is a small part of the Martin Center’s…
The Marketplace of Ideas in the Higher Education Compact
Colleges and universities constitute a crucial thread in America’s civic fabric. Higher education institutions train young minds and produce the research and knowledge that sustain and enrich our society. That…
50-State Comparison: College Graduation Rates
Public institutions have a unique responsibility to serve their students well and use their taxpayer-funded resources effectively. Some states, however, produce better outcomes than others. This is made clear in…
Indiana’s Worthwhile Academic Experiment
Despite being an avid watcher of the K-12 sector and its various internecine dramas, I confess I did not have “high-school diplomas” on my bingo card of likely 2024 controversies.…
Admissions standards at M.I.T
To the editor: M.I.T. requires all freshmen, regardless of their intended major, to take 2 semesters of calculus, 2 semesters of physics (and if you don’t pass the calculus, you…
Rescuing “Virtue and Talents” Amidst the War on Tests
On March 28, 2022, Stuart Schmill, Dean of Admissions and Student Financial Services at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) announced the school’s plan to restore the consideration of standardized…
The Appalling Smith College Case—Race Tramples on Truth and Justice
An unfolding case at Smith College shows how the obsession with race can blind administrators to facts and lead them to act in ways that harm innocent people. In 2018,…
Addressing Masculinity in Higher Ed
As a lecturer in the humanities, I have had the privilege and challenge of moderating discussions of controversial topics, often based on literary texts. Over the past two years, the…
COVID-19 Campus Changes: Testing and Sequestering Students
Colleges have been trying to stop COVID-19 from spreading on campus, and after a year of experimentation, failure, and success, officials may have found their way. Campuses are combining widespread…